1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer software and, more particularly, to a graphical user interface for conducting electronic commerce transactions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic commerce transactions involve methods for conducting business that extensively involve the Internet. Electronic commerce can be separated into business-to-business (B2B) transactions and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. B2B can refer to the exchange of products, services, or information between businesses. In contrast, B2C transactions can refer to the selling of retail goods on the Internet.
While conventional electronic commerce tools are sufficient to permit business entities to engage in electronic commerce transactions, these tools possess a few shortcomings. One such shortcoming relates to the ability of a business entity to view and manage discrete electronic commerce transactions in real-time or near real-time. For example, when errors occur during electronic commerce transactions, a business entity can have difficulty detecting, tracking, and correcting the errors. Typically, a business entity can search error logs and lengthy reports to determine which attempted transactions processed correctly and which did not. Moreover, even after erroneous transactions have been discovered, the business entity can have difficulty establishing communications with the correct point of contact.
Since by the very nature of electronic commerce, a variety of alternative business entities typically exist, transaction problems can result in a loss of business and/or goodwill. The longer it takes for a business entity to correct a transaction problem, the greater the potential that a loss of business will result. Accordingly, a mechanism is needed that provides business entities engaged in electronic commerce to quickly detect and react to business transaction errors. Ideally, the mechanism would allow a business entity to prioritize different business transactions by importance so that preferential treatment and support can be afforded to key business entities. The ability to react differently to more important business entities can be especially valuable in situations where the administrative personnel that oversee electronic commerce transactions is limited.